The Ace of Spades
by Insert New Name Here
Summary: The four Trump Cards. Each one of them was, in essence, a small army. All of them could take out hundreds of incredibly strong men on their own without breaking a sweat. When put into a group, they were completely unstoppable. That is, until their leader and strongest member, the Ace of Spades, left them. (Yuuki/Kirito, minor Kirito/Asuna)
1. Chapter 1: His Ace

The Ace of Spades

Chapter One: His Ace

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**A/N:**

**I know I should be working on just about anything else, but I did put a preview of this story in the latest chapters of one of my stories (I forgot which one) not so long ago.**

**As for Summer Camp, my newest story sans this one, I'll inform you that the second chapter is about a fourth of the way done. It should be out sometime this week if I can retain my inspiration for it.**

**Now, onto the info for this story. This story, as you know, is called **_**The Ace of Spades**_**. I came up with the plot before the title, then modified the plot to fit the title I eventually came up with. Weird process, I know, but it worked.**

**Anyway, I got the idea for the title from the first light novel, when Kirito said something like, "The problem is whether or not the game will be cleared before I draw the ace of spades." That evolved into what you'll see down below.**

**Which reminds me, I'd say it's about damn time that I let you actually read what's down below instead of reading random info about it. So, without further ado, enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you at the bottom!**

* * *

The setting sun sent a beautiful golden-red light through the large window, brightly coloring the drab, gray walls of the executive office room. In this room, a teenage male stood, looking at a fully-grown male talking on his cell phone.

The teenager had long, ebony hair, piercing steel-gray eyes, and a well-toned, if not slightly muscular, body structure. He wore an ensemble composed entirely of black clothes, meant to hide him from eyesight when he did his job. On his somewhat feminine face was a slight frown, showing the tiniest hint of the intense boredom and impatience he felt inside.

The other man in the room had a frown on his face as well, although for an entirely different reason. The 'business call' he made wasn't going his way at all; he was almost ready to give up and pull his best card, or 'Ace of Spades' as he called it.

Or more appropriately, _him_.

Yes, that's right; the teenage boy standing in the office was the infamous, incredibly dangerous Ace of Spades. The most widely-known elite contractor, he was known for taking any and every high-paying job. Interestingly enough, as soon as he completes each job, he goes under the radar, completely evading all detection. He doesn't even come back to accept his payment for the jobs he takes, unlike the other widely-known elite contractors.

However, the teenager wasn't the only noteworthy man in the room. No, not at all. The man talking on the phone was also very well-known, possibly the most influential person in all of Japan. He lived two lives, both of them very successful.

He lives as Kayaba Akihiko, a genius inventor by day. This persona of his had made almost all of the major advancements in modern technology in the past ten years. He is the reason why fossil fuels are no longer used to power modern devices. He is the reason why all modes of transport can now float, effectively making hover cars a reality. However, the influence of this life he leads is child's play compared to his other life.

He lives his second life as Heathcliff, the most well-known and widely-feared crime lord in all of Asia, if not the world. He rose to the top in less than a year, successfully bringing other gangs and mafias to their knees until he controlled the underground of all of East Asia. How? He brought something new to the table.

The four Trump Cards.

Each of these Trump Cards was, in essence, a small army. All of them could take out hundreds of muscular men on their own without breaking a sweat. When put into a group, they were completely unstoppable.

That is, until their leader and strongest member, the Ace of Spades, left them.

"Well, I suppose you are prepared to deal with the Ace of Spades, then?"

These words coming from Heathcliff immediately sparked the Ace in question's interest. He now knew that he would be needed for another job. He hoped it would be a challenging one; he hadn't used even a fraction of his true skills in ages.

"Well, I look forward to seeing which one of them is stronger," Heathcliff said, pulling his cell phone away from his ear.

"So, I just got a mission, right?" the young ebony-haired Ace said, an interested look replacing his earlier frown. "Will it be challenging?"

"You will be fighting the government's newest secret weapon," Heathcliff said calmly. "So yes, it will be a challenge."

A small smile slowly crept up onto the Ace's features. "Where and when?"

"Tomorrow night at eleven, they expect you to go straight to the Schuberg Corporation's main building and attempt to take the CEO's life," Heathcliff replied. "The secret weapon of theirs and his or her reinforcements are likely come to intercept you en route to the building. I used my phone's location distort service to make it seem like I was calling from east of here if they trace it, so you must take them by surprise on the way to you. I'll give you the map data of where they are likely to lay in wait for you later tonight. It is up to you how you kill the reinforcements, but do try to leave their secret weapon alive. I have a hunch that this one will be interesting."

"Gotcha," the young Ace said, turning to leave. "I'll bring this weapon back to your lab for testing."

Just before he reached the door, he was stopped by Heathcliff's voice. "Oh, one last thing."

"What is it?" something about Heathcliff's tone caught the Ace's attention, and he found himself turning his head slightly to look at the man from the corner of his eye.

"Be careful," Heathcliff said. "I don't want my Ace of Spades dying."

At this, the young Trump Card gave a thumbs-up. "Who do you think I am?"

With that, the Ace of Spades, otherwise known as Kazuto Kirigaya, left the room.

* * *

"_What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"_

"_You are a failure. We have no need for failures at our lab, so we must dispose of you."_

"_What?!"_

"_I'm sorry…"_

* * *

Kazuto woke up in a cold sweat, bolting upright in bed. He clutched his aching head, eyes shut tight as he felt the electric pulses in his brain spike every couple of seconds. This always happened when he had nightmares.

When the throbbing subsided, Kazuto opened his eyes slowly, looking around his dimly-lit room for a mirror. He found one on his nightstand, and he grimaced when he saw his reflection.

His normally-ebony hair had turned white in his sleep.

However, this was not the work of hair dye or bleach. No, this was the result of the nightmare he had just experienced. Due to the high stress of the horrible dream, his ability had spiked for the faintest of moments, leaving him with snow-white hair, clear blue eyes, and a charred bed.

Kazuto slowly took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm his pounding heart. Within a few seconds, his hair and eyes once again returned to their darker colors. He then looked over to the clock on his nightstand.

"Four in the morning?" he muttered into his room. "Just great… now I won't be able to get back to sleep and wake up in time for school."

It was then that Kazuto realized that he had a mission later that day. He lay back down at the thought, sighing in relief.

_I don't go to school on mission days… so I can go back to sleep for another six or seven hours before getting up to prepare._

Of course, fate was never so kind. Three hours later, Kazuto found himself lying awake in bed once more. At this point, he knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, and so, he got up.

"This is so annoying…" Kazuto groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "It's only seven in the morning, and I'm already wide awake. I don't even have to go to school…"

Walking down seven flights of stairs was exhausting, to say the least.

In the end, Kazuto had decided to go train in Akihiko's underground gym, built specifically for the training of the four Trump Cards. It had been forever since he had set foot on the ground he once shared with three others, and now he was absolutely sure that he wouldn't be welcome if he went there while any of them were gathered. Thus, he had used his top clearance key card to get into the camera room and look for other people beforehand. When he found none, he decided it would be all right to go in.

So there he was, standing at the doorway to the gym with an apprehensive look in his steel-gray eyes.

_Do I really have a right to be here?_ He thought, looking down for a moment. He left them, after all, so should he really be allowed in the area where they train? _No, I can't think like that. I need to train, and this is the only place where I can actually do that effectively._

Kazuto soon felt a presence approaching from up the stairs. His hair immediately flared upwards, turning snow-white and lengthening slightly before falling back down over his blue-turned eyes.

"Who's there?" he queried, voice much deeper than before.

These were the side effects of his power. His power as the strongest Trump Card. He only activated them when doing a job or interacting with people who knew him as the Ace of Spades. After all, the Ace of Spades was known for his white hair and blue eyes.

"Well, you've gotten better at detection, Spade," a female voice said from the top of the staircase. "My Cloak of Darkness ability used to keep you from being able to find me."

"So, the lovely Queen of Hearts decided to grace the lowly Ace of Spades with her presence," Kazuto said in a snarky tone. "I thought I wasn't supposed to be around you ever again. Why the sudden change of heart?"

The sound of the subject of Kazuto's remarks walking down the stairs could be heard, and soon enough, she stood before Kazuto. Her long, violet hair started to float in the air, signifying her anger.

"I don't know why you're here, but get the hell out," she said, her magenta eyes blazing with rage.

Kazuto didn't even flinch back at the intimidating indigo aura that was beginning to surround the shorter girl. He wasn't afraid of her in the slightest. They had fought before, and he had always won.

"Am I supposed to feel intimidated?" Kazuto queried, a smug smile on his face. "Because I kinda don't. Besides, I have a reason for being here. Your boss hired me for a job, and I'm going to train here, whether you like it or not."

The Queen of Hearts glared at Kazuto, getting angrier by the second. "Liar!" she shouted. "Why would Kayaba-sama hire you for a job instead of making one of the other Trump Cards do it?"

Kazuto smirked deviously. He was hoping to have a little fun, and if he played his cards right, he could end up fighting her for training. That would be fun indeed. "Obviously, it was because he didn't think any of you are strong enough. And even if you were, I'm still the best, and I don't cause any collateral damage, unlike you."

At his last words, he put his left hand up to her head, flicking it and sending her reeling back into the stairs. She rubbed her head where he hit her, a near-unbearable pain beginning to spread through her entire body.

After a few seconds, the pain wore off, and the Queen of Hearts immediately shouted, "That's it! We're going to have a fight!"

"You're on," Kazuto said, repressing a smile of smug victory. "I hope you're more of a challenge than last time."

After going in, the two ex-partners quickly went to the area of the giant gym used for sparring. They had brought all of the weapons they needed from their homes, so there was no need to get any from the armory in the back of the gym.

As they walked up to the middle fight ring, both of them wore smirks. Both of them were confident. Both of them thought the exact same thing.

_You don't stand a chance._

Once they both entered the large ring, Kazuto condescendingly said, "I'll let you decide the rules of combat, my Queen."

The Queen of Hearts immediately began listing off the rules for standard 'berserker sparring,' as they once called it. "Any and all weapons are usable. Hand-to-hand combat is fine, and we can aim for anywhere we want."

Kazuto knew something was missing, and he knew exactly what. He figured that the girl before him was waiting for him to ask, so he decided to give her the courtesy. "And as for our powers?"

"Give me all you got."

This reply actually surprised Kazuto slightly; he hadn't counted on her saying he could go all out. _All the better,_ he thought as he looked his old partner dead in the eyes.

"You'd better give me everything you got."

At these words, the Queen of Hearts charged, pulling a large, black knife from her belt. She immediately slashed as soon as she got within range, coming into contact with… nothing.

The Ace of Spades had completely disappeared.

"What the hell?" she whispered, looking around.

Then, seven black, spade-shaped throwing knives came down from above, lodging themselves into the ground in a circle around her. In an instant, she knew she had been trapped. If she so much as moved a single centimeter outside the circle, the knives would form an electric field and shock her. Her only chance was…

"Haaaah!"

With a mighty shout, she created a dark sphere around her, its power shaking the entire room. It began to enlarge, creating a small crater in the ground. Just before it made contact with the throwing knives around her, however…

"Too slow!"

The sphere of dark energy around her shattered, another throwing knife having pierced it from above. Once the new knife hit the ground, electric sparks flew in all directions, activating the earlier trap Kazuto laid around the Queen.

The electric explosion that followed paralyzed the Queen of Hearts, making her fall limply to the ground. She couldn't move, couldn't _feel_, and Kazuto knew it. He walked up to her slowly, completely unaffected by the small electric explosion. If anything, it only energized him. Why?

He had power over electricity.

"Is that it?" the Ace queried, looming over his old partner with a devious smirk. "Is that everything you've got? And here I thought _I _was the one who had slouched on the training."

All of the sudden, the girl beneath Kazuto burst into a massive explosion, sending him flying into the air. _A decoy?! But how?!_ He thought as he continued to rise. Then, it hit him.

_When she created the sphere of dark energy, she made a dark clone of herself inside it and teleported out! Which means that she's—_

"Right here!" a voice shouted from below, its owner shrouded in the smoke caused by the explosion.

Kazuto immediately threw three more of his electrified throwing knives at the source, only to be met with another explosion. _That one was a decoy too, huh?_

No longer was Kazuto surprised at this kind of development. He had seen it twice, and he had noticed a minute difference in the voice of the clones. He would easily be able to tell when he was dealing with the real Queen now.

"You can't fool me with your dark clones, my Queen," the Ace of Spades said, voice a mixture of informative and condescending as he fell back to the ground and landed gracefully. "I can tell the difference now."

"Oh, is that so?" two voices said at once, one on his left, and one on his right. The smoke still obscured his vision, but it didn't matter.

Immediately, Kazuto knew that the one on his right was the real Queen of Hearts. He produced yet another throwing knife, throwing it in her direction. While it flew through the air, he snapped the fingers of his right hand. What followed next shocked the Queen stiff. Even she had never seen him do this before.

The knife began to crackle with electricity, increasing in speed and tearing a rift through the smoke. When it reached her, she reacted just in time to avoid being stabbed in the heart. She moved out of the way, though it still tore through her sleeve, making a small cut on her right arm. But it was enough.

It had torn a vein.

The electric field around the knife immediately transferred to the Queen's body on contact, sending wave after wave of electricity coursing through her veins. She fell to her knees, clutching her arm in immense pain.

"So, are you ready to give up?" Kazuto queried, blue eyes blazing with cockiness. "Seriously, if this is all you've got, you might as well."

"Go to hell!"

Of course he had to forget about the clone. Of course.

The clone ran at Kazuto, latching onto him and preparing to explode. As this happened, the real Queen slowly rose to her feet, backing away to catch her breath and heal herself. Just before the clone exploded, however…

"Is that it?"

Electric sparks started to radiate off of Kazuto, sending the clone flying off him and into the air. It exploded soon after, creating a massive cloud of smoke. But of course, Kazuto prepared for this.

"Ha!"

The electric field that had been building up around him started to expand, completely wiping out the smoke in a matter of seconds. The Ace looked around, spotting the his foe several meters to his left. He smirked.

"I'd say it's about time we end this."

He turned to face the Queen of Hearts, holding out his left hand with his middle finger and thumb pinched together. When she didn't react, Kazuto snapped his fingers. What followed could only be described as utterly brutal.

The Queen of Hearts' body became surrounded by blinding white electricity, the sheer voltage causing her to scream in agony. Any normal person would have been dead by then, but then again, the Queen wasn't normal. Even so, the pain she experienced from the lightning all around her was unbearable. She could barely stay conscious, though the electricity kept her upright, convulsing jarringly from the brutal torture.

Once the lightning finally died down, her entire body was charred from head to toe. Her black and purple clothes were in tatters, nearly all ripped apart from the sheer force of the attack. After a few seconds, the Queen of Hearts fell limply to the ground, all of her willpower being used just to stay conscious.

The Ace of Spades walked up to her, a broken smile on his face. His eyes were no better, making him look as if he had done something horrible, something he, with all of his tremendous power, couldn't fix. When he reached her, he said began speaking in a sorrowful tone, one filled with regret.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, his smile disappearing, with a regretful frown taking its place. "I'm sorry for everything, Yuuki."

"How… do you… know my name?"

The last thing the Queen of Hearts, otherwise known as Yuuki Konno, saw before falling into unconsciousness was the sight of Kazuto walking towards the room's exit. However, just before she lost consciousness, her vision of him changed to that of a ten-year-old boy, one with ebony hair and a thin frame. In her hallucination, the boy turned around just before leaving, showing his bright smile and stormy-gray eyes.

_No… don't go… you can't leave again…_

Those were the last thoughts Yuuki had before finally slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N:**

**And… we're back! So, what do you think of this? I should probably tell you that this plot and about half of the first chapter conceived a few months ago, so sorry if the quality doesn't match up with my newest works.**

**Anyway, I'd love some feedback! And if you're reading this, my favorite reviewer (you know who you are), go all out, please.**

**Well, I guess that's it. I guess I should disclaim this and let you guys get on with your lives.**

**So yeah, as if I haven't made it obvious enough with my other stories, I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations, or anything that I use from them. I hope that this is clear enough for you, Aniplex and Reki Kawahara, because it's damn annoying to keep doing this.**

**I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2: Lightning versus Light

The Ace of Spades

Chapter Two: Lightning versus Light

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**A/N:**

**Sorry for the delay, guys! But I guess you're used to that by now, huh? My updates are few and far between these days… but hey I rarely get a second chapter out for any of my stories, and when I do, it usually signifies that I mean business with said story.**

**But yeah, I'm really on an updating spree, aren't I? Just so you know, the next update will either be for **_**The Kendo Club: Playing for Keeps**_**, or this story. They'll most likely come out at around the same time, since I'm on a roll with both of them.**

**Well, I guess that's it for the top note! Have a good read, and I'll see you at the bottom!**

* * *

_The Ace of Spades walked up to her, a broken smile on his face. His eyes were no better, making him look as if he had done something horrible, something he, with all of his tremendous power, couldn't fix. When he reached her, he said began speaking in a sorrowful tone, one filled with regret._

_"I'm sorry…" he whispered, his smile disappearing, with a regretful frown taking its place. "I'm sorry for everything, Yuuki."_

_"How… do you… know my name?"_

_The last thing the Queen of Hearts, otherwise known as Yuuki Konno, saw before falling into unconsciousness was the sight of Kazuto walking towards the room's exit. However, just before she lost consciousness, her vision of him changed to that of a ten-year-old boy, one with ebony hair and a thin frame. In her hallucination, the boy turned around just before leaving, showing his bright smile and stormy-gray eyes._

_No… don't go… you can't leave again…_

_Those were the last thoughts Yuuki had before finally slipping into unconsciousness._

* * *

10:35 P.M.

This was the time the Ace's watch said when he looked at it for only a moment. Once he saw the time, he turned his head up to the sky, watching the lightning streak across the thunderclouds in the sky.

_Good… it's going according to plan. Soon enough, we'll have a full-blown storm._

The lightning continued to race through the heavens, with thunder eternally chasing after it. The loudest cry of thunder so far resounding, the cloudy night sky began to release small droplets of water into the evacuated city streets, signaling that the storm Kazuto predicted had begun.

But did he really just predict it? Or was there more to it than that?

From Kazuto's current viewpoint at the edge of a massive skyscraper, the lights of the city, which had been evacuated by the police so that there would be no possibility of collateral damage in the form of lost lives, looked like tiny pinpricks of color, like the stars hidden by the clouds due to the storm.

If any normal human were to jump from his current height, they would be dead as soon as they reached the ground. However, Kazuto was by no means a normal person. As soon as he saw them coming en route to try to intercept him, he planned to jump down and immediately begin laying waste to their men, so that only he and the secret weapon remained. Then, the real fun would start.

But of course, nothing ever goes entirely according to plan. And so, just as he noticed a large group of people in government uniforms come into his line of sight, he heard a strange sound from behind him. When he turned around, he was greeted by a blinding white light, and when it subsided, he was greeted with the sight of a familiar fair-skinned, white-clad girl. He recognized her, but he knew she wouldn't have a clue who he was.

The girl in question was clad in somewhat revealing white and red clothing, which surprised Kazuto slightly. When he knew her, she wasn't exactly fond of such clothing. Covering her chest was a lightweight, white metal chest plate, which looked to be made of a synthetic, bullet-reflecting metal that was produced by the Schuberg Corporation.

Her long, flowing chestnut-brown hair, soaked from the rain, made the bangs go over the girl's glowing white eyes. _Wait, glowing?_ Kazuto thought, his expression changing to one of curiosity for the faintest of moments before the glow in her eyes died down, revealing their true color, which matched her hair.

Kazuto's expression changed once more, becoming much more confident. He knew exactly how to catch her off guard, and it might even be enough to end the fight within seconds, depending on her reaction. "I assume that you're the so-called 'secret weapon' I've been hearing so much about from my boss?" Kazuto queried, a crooked smirk on his face.

"That's right," the girl replied, a brief lightning flash illuminating the almost-intimidating glare on her face. "But you can call me Asuna. It doesn't really matter, though, since you'll only live for a few more minutes. I'm here to kill you, _Ace_."

The way she spat out his nickname as if it were venom would have been enough to scare most people into running away, especially if they had just saw her teleport right in front of them. But, as you know by now, Kazuto was far from normal. It had the reverse effect on him; it only fired him up, made him want to fight her. But first…

"Those are your reinforcements, correct?" Kazuto queried, looking over the edge of the skyscraper and down onto the streets, where a group of exactly fifty-two government officers were running towards them. Without waiting for an answer, he pointed his left hand at the group, putting his thumb and middle finger together. "Watch this."

Before the girl could stop him, Kazuto snapped his fingers, causing… nothing? A quick look to the sky was all it took to completely shatter that notion, however. In the sky, the clouds had begun to get brighter, brighter, brighter, until finally—

Exactly fifty-two lightning bolts rained down on the poor souls below, each one hitting one of their heads. As fast as they had struck, all of the bolts dispersed, leaving the fifty-two bodies of the government officers to fall to the ground limply. That's right…

Each and every one of them had been killed with a single strike.

Looking back to the girl before him, Kazuto smirked when I saw the horrified look on her face. "This is the power you're facing," he said, looking to the sky. "Thunderstorms increase my power exponentially, and I just so happen to have to power to create them!"

"You… you just killed fifty people in an instant…" Asuna whispered, lowering her head.

"Fifty-two, to be precise," the Ace of Spades replied. "But the number doesn't really matter, does it?"

"How could you…?" the chestnut-haired girl asked him, voice trembling. "How could you kill so many people at once and not even feel remorse?"

Kazuto decided to see how far he could take things before she completely lost her composure and attacked him. "The lives of nobodies like those mean nothing to me. I'm incapable of developing new relationships with people I don't know from my childhood, so I feel nothing for anyone new I meet. Thus, it doesn't matter who they are, I won't hesitate to kill them if I need to."

"Why…?"

This response surprised the young Ace; he had expected her to snap at his remarks. He had expected her to attack him. He had never predicted that she would ask for an explanation. Even so…

Kazuto tightened his hands into fists, listening to the sound his fingerless, black leather gloves made. _I can't go easy on her. I can't let my guard down. I have to beat her!_

Faster than the girl could even blink, Kazuto disappeared from his spot across from her, appearing only centimeters away from her. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before she felt an incredible surge of pain coming from her stomach. When she looked down, she found his fist coming upwards, towards her chin.

The uppercut hit its intended mark, sending the girl flying into the air from the sheer force. She twisted in midair as she fell, landing gracefully several meters away. However, by the time she landed, he had appeared before her yet again, hitting her with a powerful left hook, followed by an even stronger right punch that sent her skidding a few meters from the edge of the skyscraper.

"How…"

"Do I keep sending you flying back with my punches alone?" Kazuto finished for her, smirking as he held his fists out towards her. "These gloves are specially made by my employer. They're called, 'IT Gloves: Level Shifter.' IT stands for Impact Technology. These gloves have three levels, and they advance in level by hitting living things and sapping their life energy. At their current level, level one, they can send you flying back several meters if I punch you hard enough. However, if you survive long enough for them to manage to reach level three...

"Well, let's just say you would be totally screwed."

"So, in other words," the Ace's chestnut-haired opponent said. he instantly knew where she was going with this, but he also knew that she wouldn't be able to do it. "I just have to keep dodging, right?"

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid."

Yet again, the Ace of Spades moved faster than Asuna could follow, appearing before her in an instant. However, she had seen a pattern. And so, as he began his assault with his right fist, she moved her left arm to block with equal speed.

_The hell?_ Kazuto thought as his fist made contact with her arm. _How did she move that fast?_

The force of the Ace's punch still sent Asuna skidding back to the very edge of the skyscraper. _I could just hit her off of the skyscraper, but I'm not done with her yet. This hasn't even been fun, and I want to see everything this girl's got._

"You know, it'd be nice if you'd stop holding back," Kazuto said cockily. "Otherwise, this won't be any fun."

"You… think that fighting… that killing… is fun?" Asuna queried, voice dangerously low. Kazuto took note of this, smirking as he answered her question with one of his own.

"And if I do?"

Mere milliseconds after he finished his question, he found a fist planted firmly in his abdomen. Blood spurted from his mouth at the incredible pain, making Asuna smirk in satisfaction. He had finally done it… he had broken all of her mental restraints. Now, all that remained was to determine who was truly the stronger of the two.

"I'll eradicate sick trash like you from the face of the earth with my own hands!" Asuna shouted, her chestnut hair gaining a white glow as it began to levitate.

The Ace of Spades jumped back, wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve as he landed gracefully. When his arm moved away from his face, it revealed a devious smirk. "That was one hell of a punch," he complimented, looking at Asuna with hungry eyes. "I hope you're prepared to take responsibility for your actions and make good on your word. But trust me…"

He held his right hand level with his head, then reared it back as blindingly white electricity started to emanate from it. The electricity began to take shape as a long, white object, which then expanded until it held the shape of a double-edged sword. Kazuto suddenly closed his fingers around the handle of the lightning blade, making all of the electricity stop and reveal its true form.

The blade shone a gleaming white color, one that would temporarily blind any normal human. Its edges looked sharp enough to cut anything in the world, which would soon be put to the test.

"I won't go down easy."

With those words, Kazuto charged at his chestnut-haired opponent, putting the flat of his blade over his left shoulder in preparation for a powerful rightward strike. Asuna took notice of this, ducking under the strike just as Kazuto swung.

_Big mistake,_ Kazuto thought smugly, his icy blue eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of knowing his feint was successful.

As soon as Asuna was far enough below him, Kazuto hit his adversary from above with his left fist. The ground below them immediately caved from the impact, causing Asuna to fall through three floors of the skyscraper before the momentum finally stopped.

Kazuto had jumped into the air just before the ground directly under him caved, allowing him to flip in midair and land on the top of the skyscraper once more as he watched Asuna fall. He smirked in satisfaction as he watched her struggle to get out of the rubble.

Jumping down to the level that Asuna had stopped on, Kazuto slowly turned around, coming face to face with a clearly-exhausted Asuna. He smirked. "Just give up, little girl," he said, blue eyes starting to glow with an ethereal light. "I've been fighting ever since I was ten, and with every fight I win, every person I kill, I get stronger. You're out of your league! I've never even lost a fight after my powers awakened!"

"Awakened…?" the chestnut-haired girl whispered, looking at Kazuto with wide eyes. "Are you… like me? A Project?"

Images of a boy with ebony hair, steel-gray eyes and a gentle smile flashed through her mind, and she looked up at Kazuto in shock. "It can't be… the generation two Project failure, said to be disposed of…"

Putting on an impassive expression as he slowly walked up to Asuna, Kazuto said something into the rain, just loud enough for her to hear. "You're wrong. The Kirito you knew is dead. He died the very same night that my powers, the powers of the only first generation Project, awakened."

Kazuto moved his left hand in his adversary's direction, putting his middle finger and thumb together. "Now then…" he said, slowly pressing his finger and thumb together as sparks began to emanate from them. "Goodnight, Asuna."

With a single snap of his fingers, lightning erupted from his hand, shooting towards Asuna in a one giant, super powerful attack that enlarged as it moved closer. It made contact with her entire body, the force of the blast sending her flying back into the rubble, which promptly disintegrated upon being hit by such a powerful lightning strike.

When the lightning finally dispersed, the glow in Kazuto's eyes faded, and he fell to his knees, panting furiously. That last attack had drained too much of his energy, and his vision had become slightly hazy from the brightness of the lightning.

"I think I… overdid it…" Kazuto panted, slowly staggering to his feet as his sword disappeared in a flash of light, showing that he no longer had the strength to maintain its existence. "But… even still, I have to keep moving… I have to get her back to Kayaba's lab."

He whipped out his phone from his left pant pocket, walking under the remains of the ceiling so that rain didn't drop onto his phone from the giant hole above him. He found himself dialing a number he committed to memory, one that led straight to his employer's phone.

"Hello?" Kazuto said when he heard the line pick up. After a few seconds of silence on his end, he began speaking once more. "Yeah, I kind of overdid it in the fight against their secret weapon… yeah, she's still alive, just unconscious. I need a ride to the lab, since I'm too drained to just use Lightning Travel."

After a few more minutes of talking, Kazuto hung up, having secured a ride to the lab. Now that he was off the phone, Kazuto could finally be alone with his thoughts.

_That couldn't have been… no, I'm sure of it. That wasn't her full power. She had no restraints up until I revealed a bit about my past, but after that, she didn't try to fight back, or even dodge my last attack. It's like…_

Kazuto's eyes widened at the next thought that entered his head. _It's like she figured out that I was lying about my identity! I told her that the old me died… but maybe she didn't believe me._

"Well, it doesn't really matter," he said, finally deactivating his powers. His snow-white hair returned to its natural ebony color, and his icy-blue eyes reverted to their original steel-gray hue. "I'll probably never see her again."

Suddenly, the shadows in front of Kazuto began to take shape. In an instant, he knew what it meant: his employer had sent the Queen of Hearts, who could use Shadow Travel, to pick them up,

Kazuto quickly looked around, trying to find a place to hide before Yuuki fully appeared. After finding a wall that had been halfway broken down, he ran over to it, sitting down on the other side.

_The past needs to stay in the past,_ Kazuto thought, casting his sorrowful gaze to his lap. _And if that means lying to the people who called themselves my friends, then so be it._

"Hey, Ace! Where are you?" he heard the Queen of Hearts query. "I heard that you overdid it in the fight with the secret weapon."

"Don't worry about me," Kazuto said, revealing his presence. "Just take the girl and go. I have something I need to do, so tell Kayaba that I'm alive, but I need some time alone."

"Got it," Yuuki affirmed, oddly compliant towards the person she hated most. Kazuto heard her pick up Asuna, and he smiled.

"Thank you, Yuuki," he said, inwardly cursing himself as soon as her name left his mouth. When they worked together, he never let on that he knew her name.

"That reminds me," she said, walking towards Kazuto. "How do you know my name? I never told it to you before you left the Trump Cards."

_Why is she being nice to me now?_ Kazuto inwardly inquired, his eyes widened slightly. _She should still hate me. Unless… the Electric Influence I used on her is beginning to wear off. But that's impossible… I used a great deal of power when I made it so that she hated me just before I left. Even if she… me before, the effects of my Influence should still be working._

"Sorry," he finally said, laughing drily. "But I can't tell you. The past needs to stay in the past."

Yuuki, starting to catch on, quickly ran to the spot where she heard Kazuto's voice. However, just before she got there, a bolt of lightning struck right where the ebony-haired boy had been sitting, making him vanish with the light of the strike itself.

"Ace of Spades…" she whispered, eyes widened in shock. "Are you really him? Are you really…"

Yuuki looked up into the sky, watching as the storm clouds slowly started to clear up and make way for the crescent moon.

"Are you really Kirito?"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Okay, that wasn't exactly easy to get out. I had been stuck at twenty-four-hundred words for weeks, maybe even a month, and I only picked it back up again today. Well, at least I updated, right?**

… **Right?**

**Anyway, I should probably inform you all that this story will have little focus on romance. I mean, even less than the usual for me. I finally planned out most of this story yesterday/today (it's one in the morning for me right now), and there's little room for romance. That isn't to say that there won't be any, it just means that the moments will be as sparse as my updating pace for most of this story's plot. Sorry about that.**

**I guess that's all I need to say for now. I'll let you all off the hook with a disclaimer, and then we can all go our separate ways until the next update!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations, or anything/one I use from them!**

**Ciao!**


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